


love and zuko

by snowandfire



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Friendship, Hopeful Ending, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Sibling Love, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowandfire/pseuds/snowandfire
Summary: zuko's real destiny was love and the friends he found it with
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Ursa & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 686





	love and zuko

The first person to tell Zuko that she loves him is his mother. She tells him this before he is even born. Placing her hand on her own stomach, speaking to the life growing inside her. She tells him she's sorry too, for the place she's bringing him into. She explains that it isn't a very loving place at all. But she loves him. And she tells him so. From the very beginning. Hopefully, it will be enough. 

When Zuko is born Ursa holds him and rocks him. Sings him sweet lullabies. Kisses the soft tufts of black hair growing from his little head. She gets up in the middle of the night to feed him. Careful not to wake her sleeping husband. She holds him in her arms and tells him as he suckles. In a whisper that's for him and him alone.  _ I love you. I love you. I love you.  _

Zuko eventually learns to say it back. In the sing song, soft-edged voice of a child. But he sees his father's face harden whenever he does say it and it bothers him. He sees that his father doesn't say it back. He figures, even then, as a child, that maybe you're not supposed to say it loud. Maybe it's just something to say quietly. If you say it at all. 

The first person Zuko regularly says it to is Azula. He looks in on her adoringly from the edge of her crib. He reaches his hand down and giggles when she grabs his finger. So tight. She's so strong. 

He likes it when mother sits her in his lap. He likes kissing her chubby cheeks. He holds her hands as she learns to walk. And he tells her every day. Whispers in her ear. Or right before she falls asleep.  _ I love you, Azula. I love you. I love you.  _

It's not long before she stops him from saying it. And he stops wanting to say it. But that doesn't make the feeling go away. Not entirely. Never entirely. 

He never craves an  _ I love you  _ from his father. He knows that's never going to be in reach. He aims for  _ I'm proud of you _ instead. And still fails. 

After the Agni Kai he stops thinking of himself as someone who can love and be loved at all. In the first days. Lying on the floor with bandages covering his ruined face, he doesn't think he deserves love. And the world and anyone in it? They certainly don't deserve  _ his  _ love. Not after this.

Uncle is the first person he sees when he opens his eyes for the first time. Uncle embraces him and Zuko is too weak and tired to resist.  _ I love you. My son. I am sorry. I failed you. I failed them all. I could not help you, my son. We will find a new way.  _

Uncle stays with him. Even in the nights sometimes. He's there to change the bandages and apply the salve to the burn. He protects Zuko from people coming to gawk. He knows Zuko doesn't want to be seen like this. By anyone. The least he can do is have it be just him. 

When Zuko cries at night Uncle is kind enough not to say anything. He doesn't say  _ I love you  _ again.

* * *

The next person to say  _ I love you  _ to him is Aang. He says it easily. The words roll right off his tongue. 

"Come on Zuko. We love you. You're one of us now. You  _ have  _ to come penguin sledding with us!" 

After that it's Toph. She wrestles with him in the dirt and the mud. She kicks him in the shin. When they're done fighting they're both bruised and muddy as hell. 

"Why do you do this to me." He moans. 

She just laughs and punches him in the arm  _ again _ , "It's because I love ya, Sparky. Duh." 

Katara says it to him late one night. After the war's over. When he's confessing to her his fears about being firelord. Whether he'll turn out to be like his father. Whether his people will follow him. 

"They'll follow you, Zuko. If you lead with love and not fear."

"I don't know if I'm that good at that."

"We're all here with you because we love you." she says it pleasantly, and it's easy for her to say it, like it is for all of them, "That's a start."

Sokka is the last one to say it to him. He's spooning Zuko from behind. His arms wrapped tightly around Zuko's midsection. There's no space between them.  _ I love you. I love you so much.  _

Zuko turns in Sokka's arms. Turns to face him with every intention of saying it back. But he can't get the words out. He hates the silence. So Sokka fills it. He's always stupidly sentimental after a quiet night in.  _ I love you like this. Just like this. You're mine.  _

He loves the feeling of Sokka's kiss. Strong arms around him. He feels protected. 

Sokka showers him with  _ I love you.  _ When he's in the bath after a long day. Sokka kisses him until they're both a wet soapy mess.  _ I love you.  _

When he's traveling abroad he sends in little messages that arrive at Zuko's desk via hawk.  _ I love you and I miss you. I know you miss me.  _

He says it every time he comes up close and touches the betrothal necklace around Zuko's neck.  _ I love you. I love seeing it on you.  _

At night, it's Sokka who tends to his scar. He works in the salve onto his burned skin. And he says  _ I love you.  _ Every. Single. Time.

Every time he says it. Zuko wants to ask for more. And eventually Sokka learns what he wants. 

He kisses him different places. On his face. On his chest. He whispers it. Or says it out loud. Or sometimes in a funny accent. Because that's Sokka for you.  _ I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. And yeah, I always will.  _

* * *

It takes almost losing Sokka to force the words out of Zuko's mouth. He stays by his side three nights while Sokka doesn't wake. Grasping his hand. Begging and pleading gods he's never believed in.  _ I love him. Please. I love him. I never asked you for anything else.  _

When Sokka wakes he can barely walk anymore. Zuko rearranges his life so he can tend to him himself. He dresses Sokka's wounds himself. He lifts and lowers Sokka into the bath. He washes Sokka's hair. He helps Sokka up in the middle of the night. To massage his legs. Or take him to the bathroom. Or get him a drink of cold water. He can finally say it. Because Sokka needs it. And Zuko will always give him whatever he needs.  _ I love you. I love you. I promised when we got married I would always take care of you. I love you just as much now as I did when we were young and stupid.  _

Even after Sokka recovers, Zuko doesn't stop telling him. Now that he can, he can't stop. 

When they adopt a daughter he can say it to her too. She's fire nation. But she's a troublemaker like Sokka. Zuko was worried before he first got to hold her. Whether he wouldn't feel it. The love a father is supposed to feel. Because of his father. But that turns out to be all bullshit. He feels it the second he lays eyes on her. 

The love grows day by day. It's like a part of his heart wandering around outside of his body. He would give his life for hers in a second. He sings her to sleep even though he has a terrible singing voice. He takes turns with Sokka to feed her milk. And change diapers. He brings her toys. From all around the world. He sits her in his lap, and watches Sokka feed the turtleducks. And through it all he tells her.  _ I love you, Izumi. I love you so much. You're my best girl. Papa and I love you. Won't let anyone hurt you. I promise. (Just let them try). _

* * *

When he sees Uncle in Ba Sing Se and brings Izumi he can say it to him for the first time. It's awkward. Despite Izumi's persistent gurgling. Grabbing at Zuko's hair. 

Zuko tries for  _ thank you. _ First. To work up to  _ I love you.  _ But Uncle embraces him. Well, him and Izumi both. 

"You don't have to thank me. I told you once, I think of you as my own. Perhaps now. That you have your own daughter. You know what that means."

He does. He finally does. 

"I love you, Uncle." He says, as Izumi pokes her finger into his cheek. 

"I know." Uncle says, "I always knew you did. I feel the same." 

* * *

When Izumi is older she tells it to him regularly. Him and Sokka both. Every night as they tuck her into sleep. She tells it to him when he tells her how he got his scar for the first time. 

Even though what he said was the gentlest possible rendition of events, while staying honest. Even though he doesn't disclose it to her. How much it hurt. Somehow, she knows. She throws her little arms around him. As if she would protect him from the world. Rather than the other way around. She gets it from Sokka, he's sure of it. 

"I love you, dad." She presses a kiss against his cheek, and she reaches up to touch the scar and then suddenly kisses it too. 

She's the second person to ever do so. 

She grips him so tight. As if she knows all the parts of it that he didn't tell her.

* * *

He says it often now. And readily. He goes to the facility where they house Azula. And he spends hours every week trying to get through to her. He reaches for her hand. Like he did so many years ago. Hoping she'll grasp his back. 

_ I love you, Azula.  _ He says it, even though she recoils. 

He says it to Katara when Aang passes away. They spend a month in the southern water tribe with her. With Toph in tow. Together they mourn. He tells them all now. He wishes he could have said it before.  _ I love you. I loved him. He would have wanted us to be happy. He would have wanted us to go penguin sledding.  _

So they do. A bunch of old people. Acting like kids. He looks around, at no one in particular, and says it to Aang. Who is no longer there.  _ We loved you.  _

He says it to Uncle as he slips away. As he gets quieter and a little more confused. He cares for him through his fever. As he rambles about Ba Sing Se. And boys who never came home.  _ I love you, Uncle. I won't leave you. Not this time. Not till the very end.  _

He can't say it to Ozai. It's too much to reach for. And will never come.  _ I forgive you.  _ That's the closest he'll ever get. 

* * *

Izumi names her son after Uncle. Iroh II. He and Sokka are doting grandparents. And by now, having retired the position of firelord and passed authority to Izumi in all but name, they have all the time for it. 

Zuko loves babies. He thinks maybe they should have had another. But it's far too late now. Sokka's a sillier grandpa than he was a dad. Zuko loves him for it.  _ I love you.  _ He tells little Iroh. A future fire lord. Who can't even sit upright.  _ I love you _ . He tells Sokka.  _ You've given me so much. You've given me an amazing life.  _

* * *

Sokka passes soon after the birth of Izumi's second born. In the last days Zuko is with him. And sitting at his bedside he recounts the adventures of their youth. 

"I love you, Zuko _._ " Sokka looks at him fondly. 

"I'll always be with you, okay?"

"Please. Stay."

"Jerkbender." Sokka laughs softly, reaching up to touch Zuko's face. 

"I don't want to be alone." Zuko admits.

"You won't be. I promise. Just trust me. Just this one last time."

He says it then. With everything he has.  _ I love you, Sokka. I'll love you till the day I die.  _

After, he collapses into the arms of Katara. His oldest friend. The only one who understands a loss like this. What Sokka meant. 

_ I love you.  _ Katara says to him.  _ I'm here. You're not alone. _

Toph arrives too. And the years have changed her just as much as the rest of them. She says it too. In her usual way. With a punch that hurts more than usual because of his old and aching joints.

But she says it in words as well.  _ I love ya, Sparky. You know that, right?  _

Suki comes from Kyoshi Island. She still wears the makeup. Though her hair is grey. He had burned down her village once. More than fifty years ago. But still, she tells him.  _ We're here for you now. We love you.  _

Izumi comes to him next. And he sees so much of Sokka in her. It's like a part of him is still there.  _ I love you, dad. I miss him so much. I miss him.  _

That night Katara tells him, and all of them, that Sokka's spirit is with Aang's spirit now. The part of his spirit that isn't in the next avatar. She tells him that they're happy. And free. 

He feels love in that very air. He feels the love of the family he wasn't born with. And if he closes his eyes. He feels something else too. Sokka's presence. Sokka's love. It is still with him. Transcending life and death. Transcending lifetimes.  _ I love you. I love you. I love you.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I hope sincerely that you liked this. 
> 
> I'm also @itszukkatime on tumblr if you're ever just wanting to scream about zukka


End file.
